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In August, the CBC filed a Freedom of Information request with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) to understand the fate, size, and disposal plans for these U.S. alcohol products removed in March. The LCBO took 64 days to respond—34 days longer than the legal 30-day limit.

Approximately $80 million worth of products were removed from Ontario store shelves as "active retaliation" in the trade dispute. This action only harms consumers, as selling existing stock before ceasing reorders would be more logical.

Even with an agreement to close, selling existing inventory with clear notices ("when this bourbon is gone, it's gone") is more logical. The "liquor corruption bureaucracy of Ontario," a Crown corporation, acted egregiously.

As an Ontarian taxpayer, David views the LCBO as a stakeholder. He believes its sole purpose, funded by taxpayers, should be to regulate and tax liquor, not to warehouse and retail it.

The reported $80 million cost for pulled products is likely an underestimate. The retail value was likely closer to a billion dollars, considering the removal of thousands of bottles of wine, bourbon, and beer from hundreds of stores. 

David says the lack of transparency, hidden under "cabinet confidence," is unacceptable as these taxpayer-funded products are expiring without disclosure of discards.

The LCBO, as estate executors, is financially responsible for these taxpayer-funded purchases, and the public deserves to know their fate. The Crown corporation has a history of under-reporting, admitting to $6 million in annual theft, while unions claimed it was closer to $77 million, suggesting a desire to make the government look good.